This post is part of the Leadership Playbook series that I write every Monday. Last week I wrote Part 1 of the following post – Staffing decisions that drive business outcomes.

In today’s post, I will continue on the same topic focused mostly on the presentation side of things to get executive approvals.

The Presentation Strategy

Start with Business Context

“Our Q2 priorities center on driving new ARR (annual recurring revenue) through the new growth initiative while maintaining the platform reliability that protects existing revenue. Here’s how we’re organizing to achieve both.”

Present the Framework, Not the Details

Instead of walking through each person’s assignments, I presented the strategic logic:

1. How we’re balancing growth vs. maintenance
2. Why shared infrastructure investment serves multiple products
3. How we’re mitigating known risks
4. What success looks like for each initiative

Quantify Where Possible

• “20% of A’s time to Platform migration”
• “85% team capacity focused on growth initiatives”
• “Cross-training reduces single-point-of-failure risk by 60%”

End with Clear Asks

• Approval for the proposed allocation
• Support for the identified risks
• Agreement on success metrics and review cadence

What I Learned: The Meta-Lessons

Resource Allocation is Strategic Communication

You’re not just moving people around but you’re telling a story about how your team creates value. Make sure it’s a coherent story.

Executives Think in Portfolios

They’re not just evaluating your plan in isolation, but as part of a portfolio of initiatives. Show how your approach complements other teams’ work.

Address the Elephant in the Room

If you have people on PIPs, parental leave, or other complications, address them directly with mitigation plans. Don’t hope nobody notices.

Connect Individual Growth to Business Outcomes

Show how developing your people serves business goals. It’s not either/or but it’s both.

The Results

The plan was approved with minimal changes. More importantly:

• Team Buy-in: Because engineers understood the strategic rationale, they were more engaged
• Stakeholder Confidence: Other teams knew what to expect from us and when
• Clear Success Criteria: We had objective measures for evaluating our approach

Six months later, this framework became the template other engineering leaders used for their own resource planning.

The Framework Checklist

When presenting resource allocation decisions:

✅ Business Alignment: How does each allocation drive measurable business outcomes?

✅ Risk Mitigation: What could go wrong, and how will you prevent it?

✅ Technical Rationale: Why is this the right technical approach for the business goals?

✅ People Development: How does this serve individual growth and team capabilities?

✅ Success Metrics: How will you measure if the allocation is working?

✅ Clear Communication: Can you explain the logic in 10 minutes or less?

The Broader Impact

Strategic resource allocation isn’t just about this quarter, it’s about building organizational capabilities. When you allocate resources thoughtfully, you:

• Develop more versatile engineers
• Create more resilient team structures
• Build trust with leadership
• Establish patterns for future decisions

The key insight: Resource allocation is one of the most powerful tools engineering leaders have for shaping both immediate outcomes and long-term organizational capability. Use it strategically.

---

How do you approach resource allocation in your engineering organization? What frameworks have worked for you when presenting to senior leadership? Share your experiences below.